New York City have picked up just two points from a possible 27 in their last nine and will hope that they can win for just the second time against the Dynamo this week.

Owen Coyle’s side come into the game off the back of a 1-0 defeat to LA Galaxy last weekend but had won two on the bounce prior to that.

They have not lost away at Eastern Conference opposition so far this term and will be confident they can pick up a vital win as three points could see them move as high as fifth in the Western Conference, depending on other results this week.

This will be the only meeting between the two teams this year and should be a really tight contest as neither will want to suffer another defeat.

Team News

George John, Tony Taylor and Josh Williams all remain out for NYCFC, while Ned Grabavoy and Javier Calle remain doubts. Kwame Watson-Siriboe is one booking away from suspension and will need to be careful. David Villa is fit and will look to cause Houston’s defence problems.

For Houston, Owen Coyle has a clean bill of health for the trip to New York as no players are out with injury troubles. Kofi Sarkodie is one booking away from suspension and needs to stay disciplined. Giles Barnes and Will Bruin are expected to start in attack one again.

Key Points

New York City FC’s last five: L/L/L/D/L

Houston Dynamo’s last five: L/L/W/W/L

Key Stat: New York City have conceded nine goals in their last four and have the second-worst defensive record in MLS so far this season.

Key Player: Mix Diskerud – The USMNT midfielder has struggled to shine as of yet but will look to win the midfield battle and the game for New York City this weekend.

Score Prediction

New York City FC 1-2 Houston Dynamo – Can see goals in this one as both defences are vulnerable. The Dynamo have looked good in recent weeks and may add to the expansion franchises’ misery with an away win this weekend. Jason Kreis can’t buy a win at the moment and the wait for a second victory looks set to go on.

In this week’s MLSGB Podcast Zack Walford talks to Louis East and Jamie Ives about the latest weekend of MLS action as we chat David Villa and New York City as well as the San Jose Earthquakes and their hopes for the season. We also discuss Sunderland after Gus Poyet was replaced by Dick Advocaat at the Stadium of light this week and the Black Cats’ chances of Premier League survival.

The results for our first MLS Goal of the Week vote are now in with New York City FC midfielder Mix Diskerud convincingly winning the award for the first week of the season for his fine curled effort against Orlando City on Sunday night.

Diskerud’s goal was a historic one for NYCFC as it was the expansion franchises’ first ever MLS goal and the USMNT star has scooped our first Goal of the Week award to top off a fine week.

Diskerud earned 55% of the votes this week with Clint Dempsey in second place with 20% of the votes and Lloyd Sam coming in third with 17%.

Goal C: Giles Barnes – Houston Dynamo

Goal D: Mix Diskerud – New York City FC

Goal E: Robbie Keane – LA Galaxy

As the 2015 season draws closer, we’ll have a new MLS 2015 Season Preview up everyday. Today we take a look at what New York City FC will be hoping to achieve in their first-ever season…

We’re extremely excited for the arrival of New York City FC into Major League Soccer, and fans across the league will be looking forward to seeing how they get on in their first-ever campaign. With players like David Villa and Frank Lampard as part of their inaugural roster, they boast some fine talent. But this is their first season and so there is always going to be doubt over the potential of this side. Only time will tell if they are ready to take MLS by storm.

Last season’s finish: N/A (Inaugural Season)

David Villa in action for New York City FC against Brondby (via NYCFC.com)

What to expect this year:

As this is their first season there is no bar set. However, with the money invested in the squad, New York City will need to at least make the playoffs for 2015 to be deemed a success. Much depends on the arrival of Frank Lampard in July and the extent of his impact will play a major part in their accomplishments this season. They also have David Villa up front however, so they should still be fine until Lampard arrives and will hope to make a good start to life in MLS.

Key changes to the squad:

With this being the first-ever NYCFC squad there have been endless arrivals. The following players are the key additions.

World Cup winner, David Villa is expected to spearhead the New York City attack and what a man to do it. NYCFC has spared no expense in bringing in the decorated striker who boasts his previous clubs as Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Valencia. The Spaniard is a great addition to the franchise and he will be the marquee man to lead this club forward for their first campaign and beyond. Expect goals and lots of them.

One to watch: Khiry Shelton

First round MLS SuperDraft pick, Khiry Shelton has a running style that looks effortless and so he will glide past defenders. Should he get his chance this year, we’re expecting him to make a huge impact. He could form a lethal partnership with David Villa in attack if given the opportunity and the pair demonstrated their chemistry in NYCFC’s preseason draw with Orlando City in the Carolina Challenge Cup.

Predicted finish: Eastern Conference – 5th

Reaching the playoffs in their first-ever season will be the aim for New York City. Failure to do so would be seen as unacceptable given the amount that has been invested in this squad. Jason Kreis has the players at his disposal and must find a way to get the team ticking as quickly as possible. The Eastern Conference will be fiercely competitive but with stars like David Villa and Frank Lampard on their team, NYCFC must make sure they reach the postseason.

Diskerud has been without a club since he left Norwegian club Rosenborg last month and New York City have used their number one position in the MLS Allocation Order to end what has been a long, drawn out transfer saga.

The 24-year-old had reportedly agreed to move to Liga MX with Club Tijuana at the end of 2014, but those reports proved to be false and the young USMNT star has labelled the decision to move to MLS with New York as “an easy decision”.

This time last week, the entire New York City FC fanbase was left devastated by the news that Frank Lampard would not be returning to New York for the start of the 2015 MLS season – the club’s inaugural campaign in Major League Soccer.

But the signing of Diskerud would certainly go a long way to mending broken hearts. The 24-year-old was expected to join Liga MX side Club Tijuana last month but that deal hasn’t gone through and more recent reports have suggested the Norwegian-born American would remain in Europe with Celtic a possible destination.

Though a move to MLS has not fallen off the radar and despite the fact that MLS has already twice failed to bring Diskerud to the league, the opportunity to join New York City FC could be too good to refuse.

The reason New York City would have a better chance than anyone else in the league is because of the allocation order, as the report states:

NYCFC holds the top spot in the MLS Allocation Order, which is used to determine which teams have first crack at the signing of U.S. national team players coming to MLS (with some high-profile exceptions). The team will use that top allocation spot to select Diskerud once MLS has succeeded in agreeing to a contract with the 24-year-old midfielder, sources tell Goal USA.

A move to the expansion franchise would see him play alongside David Villa and eventually Frank Lampard (hopefully). Plus the added incentive that NYCFC has direct connections to Premier League champions Manchester City, and that could interest Diskerud.

The report indicates that he might not even need to be signed to a designated player contract, depending on the club’s wage budget, but that would need to be clarified nearer the time if a move does indeed happen.

Diskerud is without a club since leaving Norwegian side Rosenborg last month and a move to MLS would give him the chance to shine in a league that’s quality increases with each week.

New York City FC fans need some good news, and it might just come in the form of USMNT midfielder Mix Diskerud within the next week.

Mix Diskerud has reportedly made his decision on where he will be playing his football for the next chapter in his career, but he’s chosen to play in Liga MX with Club Tijuana rather than accepting a designated player contract to play in Major League Soccer.

That’s according to Raul Guzman who tweeted that Club Tijuana “are about to announce the signing of Mix Diskerud” and he went on to state that “I think this has to be considered one of the best signings of the winter”.

“I don’t know [about the future], but I’m excited. I’m open for anything right now. I have my people to talk to and discuss options, so we’ll see what happens. But I’m holding all options open right now,” he said after last night’s 4-1 friendly loss to the Republic of Ireland.

At 24, Diskerud has everything ahead of him and he is a player that has shown glimpses of brilliance. But he has failed to consistently perform and missed the chance to impress in the two friendlies over the past week.

A move to MLS would allow Diskerud to grow in confidence and he is surely excited by the prospect of being the latest American import into the fastest growing league on the planet.

The USMNT capped off the 2014 schedule in poor fashion, losing 4-1 to a weakened Republic of Ireland side in Dublin, making it four games without a win – the worst run of form in Jurgen Klinsmann‘s tenure.

Klinsmann has come under some pressure as a result, but the performances on the pitch are what’s costing the team at the moment, and the long rest before the next international game leaves much to work on.

Defensively, USA looked as vulnerable as they have ever been against Ireland, while they failed to capitalise on some good spells of possession at the other end.

One game (or run of games) cannot take away from what has been a remarkable year for US soccer. But the manner of the defeat tonight will leave a sour taste in fans’ mouths until the next time a ball is kicked.

The deeply concerning trend of conceding late goals continued against Ireland as the USA let in two in the final ten minutes to put the game out of reach. Those two goals mean that the team have now conceded 11 goals in the final ten minutes in their last 11 games. Whether it’s fitness or focus, Klinsmann must address this issue urgently to ensure things change in 2015.

Klinsmann shuffled his defence once again for the game against Ireland – a fair move in a friendly as that’s ultimately what they are for, but it backfired greatly. Fabian Johnson looked better and his place in the side is not under threat. Timothy Chandler failed to impress at left-back and his chances must be running out. The major problem was in the heart of defence as Matt Besler and Geoff Cameron looked vulnerable throughout.

Besler has looked exhausted since the World Cup and needs an extended break to recover, whereas Cameron is making too many mistakes in the centre of defence and should be deployed elsewhere. The Jermaine Jones-John Brooks partnership used against Colombia looked solid and needs to be used again come next year. But things are far from certain in defence.

Diskerud had the chance to impress the nation in the two friendlies but failed in both. He grabbed the goal against Ireland but that was a tap in from close range and his inability to influence the game from midfield is a worry. He is a free agent in January and has been linked with moves to MLS among other leagues. There were believed to be up to 15 scouts watching him tonight but he didn’t exactly take his chance to shine against an average Irish side.

Bobby Wood gave at least one positive to take from the game as he looked lively and energetic when brought on at halftime. He made a great chance for himself in the second-half but saw his one-on-one agonisingly saved by Shay Given. Wood looks like a player with a bright future if he can work on his finishing, and his ability to bring others into play make him a valuable member of the team going forward.

The DC United goalkeeper cannot be blamed in any way for the loss, but he didn’t look as convincing as Brad Guzan does between the sticks and needs to be introduced more gradually now if he is to eventually take the starting job between the sticks. There was little he could do about the deflected goal and the wonderful free-kick, but he could have been off his line quicker for the first goal, and will be disappointed with how easily the second was scored. Hamid is the man for the future, but that is not now, and he needs time to work with the national team.